Sheldon Clyde Drake

Will Nordt is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and an IRS Enrolled Agent at Virginia Asset Management in Midlothian, Virginia & Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the firm's only Enrolled Agent, and he works with Richmond and Charlottesville-area corporate executives, business owners, and high-income families whose financial lives have grown complicated enough that taxes drive most of the important decisions. The Enrolled Agent credential is the highest tax designation the IRS awards, and it is uncommon among financial advisors. Will does not prepare tax returns. He reads them. He models what a decision will cost before it gets made, and he coordinates directly with a client's CPA so the plan and the filing agree. As an Enrolled Agent, he is also authorized to represent clients before the IRS. That matters because of a gap most people do not notice until it costs them money. The financial advisor never sees the tax return. The CPA never sees the portfolio. Both are competent, and the plan still leaks, because nobody is holding both documents at once. Executives and equity-compensated professionals. When to exercise incentive stock options and how to manage alternative minimum tax exposure. What to do when RSUs vest and the default withholding falls short. Whether to participate in an ESPP. Deferred compensation elections that come due in November with real consequences and no guidance attached. How to diversify out of a concentrated position in employer stock without triggering an avoidable bill. Multi-year Roth conversion and charitable planning modeled against an actual return rather than an estimated bracket. Business owners. Entity and compensation structure, retirement plan design, key employee retention strategies, and preparing a company for a marketable sale, planned against the owner's personal balance sheet instead of treated as a separate exercise. Families managing complexity. Households come to Will at pivotal moments: a promotion, a liquidity event, an inheritance, a business sale, the approach of retirement. For many of these clients he serves as the family's CFO, the single point of coordination across investments, tax strategy, estate documents, and insurance. Will is a member of the Estate Planning Council of Richmond, Virginia, one of the oldest estate planning councils in continuous operation in the country, and a member of the Financial Services Institute. He began his career on the tax side at Hantzmon Wiebel LLP in Charlottesville before joining Virginia Asset Management in 2021. Will earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Statistics and Economics from the University of Virginia, where he served as a Young Life leader at Journey Middle School in Albemarle County. He and his wife, Grace, live in Richmond with their miniature Australian Shepherd, Birdie. They are active members of City Church of Richmond. Outside of work, Will enjoys golf, good bourbon, and cheering on UVA Men's Basketball and Manchester United. Cetera Investment Advisers serves a diverse client base including individuals, high-net-worth, institutional, and retirement-plan clients through a large network of independent advisors. The firm offers a range of portfolio management, financial planning, and fiduciary services, combining advisor-managed accounts and third-party solutions, supported by its institutional structure and retirement capabilities. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification mark CFP® in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks. As an Enrolled Agent (EA), William R. Nordt is admitted to provide tax advice and representation before the IRS. Tax advisory services provided by William R. Nordt are offered through a separate entity independent of Cetera and Virginia Asset Management. Any tax advice contained herein is based on current federal tax law and is provided for informational purposes only, based on the facts as presented. This advice may change if additional information becomes available or if applicable law changes. No assurance is given that the IRS or any taxing authority will agree with the conclusions expressed. Cetera Wealth Services, LLC exclusively provides investment products and services through its representatives. Although Cetera does not provide tax or legal advice, or supervise tax, accounting or legal services, Cetera representatives may offer these services through their independent outside business. Securities offered through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment adviser. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity. Virginia Asset Management is independently owned and operated.

Daniel Douglas is a financial advisor at Empire Wealth Management, LLC in Moseley, VA, holding Series 63 and Series 66 licenses with 17 years of industry experience. He has been with Empire Wealth Management since 2010, serving as the sole advisor at the firm. Empire Wealth Management is a small, independent registered investment adviser providing discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning to individuals, high-net-worth clients, businesses, charities, and small employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firm employs a combination of Modern Portfolio Theory, long-term purchase strategies, and technical analysis to tailor investment allocations based on client objectives, time horizons, and risk tolerance.

Stephen Trojan is the founder and president of Flatiron Wealth Advisors, LLC, an independent advisory firm based in Henrico, VA. He holds Series 63 and Series 65 licenses and has 16 years of industry experience. Prior to founding Flatiron Wealth Advisors in 2021, he worked at H.D. Vest Advisory Services and H.D. Vest Investment Services for over a decade. He also leads Flatiron Advisors Tax & Accounting, a separate tax and accounting practice he founded in 2002. Flatiron Wealth Advisors provides financial planning and discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual clients, as well as corporations and businesses. The firm emphasizes a Modern Portfolio Theory approach using passive index mutual funds and ETFs, and it offers educational seminars for groups.

John Hopkins is a CFP® and holds a Series 66 designation with 12 years of industry experience. He has worked at Swift Creek Wealth Management since 2019 and previously spent seven years at Summit Financial Planning. Swift Creek Wealth Management provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services primarily to individual clients, including both non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth households, as well as occasionally advising other advisers. The firm employs tailored investment strategies using mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, with accounts typically managed on a discretionary basis and reviewed regularly.

Bradley Carnahan is the principal of Carnahan Capital Management, LLC, an independent registered investment adviser based in Midlothian, VA. He holds the Series 65 designation and has three years of industry experience. Prior to founding his firm in 2023, he worked at Markel Group for four years and Cherry Bekaert LLP for another four years. Carnahan Capital Management provides discretionary asset management services to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, foundations, and business entities. The firm emphasizes a bottom-up stock selection process with fundamental and qualitative analysis, focusing on longer-term holdings combined with periodic rebalancing and risk monitoring.

Randy Kolenda is a financial advisor at NorthStar Wealth Management LLC with 15 years of industry experience. He holds the Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC, Kingswood Capital Partners, Hayden Royal, and Wells Fargo Clearing. NorthStar Wealth Management LLC provides discretionary portfolio management and financial planning services to individual and high-net-worth clients. The firm employs a blend of fundamental and technical analysis with modern portfolio theory to build long-term, risk-aligned portfolios and offers an invitation-only Comprehensive Financial Leadership program that coordinates specialists to address complex client needs.